A network system, comprising a plurality of computers connected via a network, has been used in the art to perform data processing, data transfers and the like. In general, system management operations in such a system have been performed by associating information unique to devices (constituents of the system) with users of the devices and organizational groups (e.g., subordinate organizations in a business organization) that possess the devices.
For example, Japanese Patent Publications, identified in Japanese as Tokkai sho 63-114337, Tokkai hei 4-79446, Tokko hei 1-16066 and Tokko hei 7-44541 (References 1 to 4), disclose electronic mail schemes and data transfer schemes, each exploiting such a network system. However, these References merely disclose methods for associating destinations and routes of mails (data) with subordinate organizations of users and names thereof. In other words, none of the References discloses a method of displaying hardware and/or software resources of each of the devices in association with a user and a subordinate organization thereof.
In view of the aforementioned problems of the prior art, it is an object of this invention to provide a system resource display apparatus and a method for use in a network system, comprising a plurality of devices such as computers or the like connected via a network, which are arranged to display information relating to hardware and/or software resources of each of the devices in association with users and organizational groups that possess the devices.
It is another object of this invention to provide a system resource display apparatus and a method, which are arranged to display information relating to hardware and/or software resources of each of the devices (constituents of a network system), thereby to facilitate system management operations and simultaneously to reduce system administrator's efforts required therefor.